The sultry temperature was the first thing the mercenary Maria noticed as she knelt before the head of the Noble Opazyr family, Fia Opazyr. It was odd to her, considering how unbearably cold Opal City was.

"Red Wind Maria..." The Noble played with every syllable of the mercenary's title. Her ruby-red eyes soaked in every detail of Maria's tattered, barely maintained armor. She didn't even bother to hide her disgusted expression. "I've heard no end of your numerous achievements throughout the years. Although I'll admit I expected someone of such high acclaim to be a bit... cleaner."

Maria was thankful her head was down. Her unkempt curly locks hid her amused smile. "Apologies, my lady. I had just come off a job. I had little time to freshen up, less I kept you waiting."

Fia averted her crimson eyes from the mercenary. Preferring the pristine gray of her throne quarters walls over the rusted silver armor and muted crimson cloths that decorated Maria's body. "Right, well... Your diligence will not go unrecognized. I will return the gesture by keeping this matter swift."

"But of course," replied Maria. It didn't take a psychic to tell just how much Fia hated having the mercenary in her presence, but Maria didn't mind it one bit. Every chance she got to irritate the nobility was a victory for her.

Fia awkwardly cleared her throat. She was becoming blatantly aware of the mutual hostility shared between them. A part of her wished the mercenary would act out of line so that she could prosecute her, but she knew Maria was a professional for that. "Recently, we've made a discovery in the Ashen Canyon up north. We've found powerful crystals that are ripe with Mana. If the Oppazyrs were to acquire these crystals for ourselves, it would greatly increase our political power within the greater Ilefirn empire."

"So, I'm assuming there's something in the way of securing the goods?"

"Precisely, we sent out some women to get ourselves a bigger haul for testing, and none of them returned." The head Noble stood up, picking up a bottle of pure white wine and a small glass on a nearby table. "These mana crystals must be secured, for the sake of our humble little city. Whatever is disrupting our operations must be exterminated."

Noble lady Fia walked down from her throne room. The sound of her heels filled the vacant room as she placed herself before the ragged mercenary. "The truth of the matter is, I already have two people set up for this job. But one of them I don't really know that well, and the other isn't ready for this kind of job."

"So why put them on the job in the first place?" Maria raised her brow in confusion. Her eyes drank in the intricate gold patterns that decorated Fia's white robes. The fact that the Noblewoman's attire cost more than every coin Maria had earned in her lifetime was almost enough to make her reconsider the worth of living.

Fia poured the wine into the glass, careful hands and sharp eyes made sure not a drop was spilled. "Well, the first girl is a part of my family. She's a little upstart knight. The only thing is, she's still green." Fia looked to her wall, her stare running along the long trail of meticulously painted portraits. Her gaze settled on the portrait of a lone young woman in beautiful steel plate armor. Disappointment accented her fake smile. "Your second ally will be a herald from the Hoary church. The church insisted they meddle in this business, but I know what they are trying to do."

"Basically, you don't trust either of them." Asserted Maria. She loathed the politics and tiptoeing of the nobility.

"I wouldn't exactly call it mistrust. It's more like I don't have faith that they'd get the job done." Fia gently offered the wine glass to the mercenary. "Have you ever had Opal Wine?"

"Is that some kind of joke," chuckled Maria. "It's far too expensive for my ilk."

"Well then consider this a sample of your future." The head noble tempted the mercenary with a simple roll of the liquid.

After a brief moment of hesitation, Maria took the wine from the noble's pristine fingers. She took a small sip. It was smooth, and nearly sweet to a fault. Maria could only describe it as liquid candy.

"I'll get to the point," continued Fia. "I want you to join those girls, and make sure my niece comes back with her head on her shoulders. On top of that, I want that canyon secured. My niece will have a few soldiers with her, But the missing retrieval unit doesn't inspire confidence that the common foot soldier will be that much help."

"and I'm supposed to make a difference?" Maria scoffed. The job sounded more like a glorified suicide mission.

"Don't act so humble, Miss Maria. I've heard of the things you've done. The people you've killed outside these lands. I also know that you mostly take jobs for the rift raff. For a woman of your skill, I find that simply unacceptable."

"I'm just staying in my lane. I'm just a common street wench-"

"Nonsense!" Fia Rebuked. "Those of high skill should serve the nobility! Your talents are wasted, and wasting talent is a sign of bad leadership. Do you think me to be incompetent Miss Maria?"

Maria bowed her head and gritted her teeth. "Of course not, my lord. I would never..."

The Noble head walked back to her throne, approaching a small lock box that sat beside it. It was ornately decorated and carved out of pure Opal. She pulled from it a small crest. On its face was an image of an Opal jewel that replaced the sun. It illuminated a vast sea of what looked to be sand. Fia strolled back to the mercenary, towering over her with a malicious grin. "A woman of your skill should be recognized. Take this." Fia's voice was somewhere in between a harsh command and a self-indulgent song.

Maria's eyes widened. She swallowed hard. The usually calm sellsword reached out a trembling hand. She took hold of the crest with a feeble grip. "M-my Lord!"

"I need good women in my family, Maria. If I don't lay proper claim to the talent in my own city, someone else is bound to snatch up your loyalty sooner or later." She poured herself a glass of wine and circled back. Fia watched as Maria stared in shock at the crest. The mercenary was barely able to keep a grip on the wine she had in her off-hand. It took everything the Noble lady had to keep from laughing. "A toast, to Maria of House Opazyr!"

"To House Opazyr." Maria couldn't muster the strength for an enthusiastic response. She was too busy fighting the urge to vomit on the head noble's pristine floors.

***

Maria walked out of the grand noble castle. Its white marble walls were nearly blinding against the cold sun's grayish rays. She eyed the crest in her hand with disdain. To many bootlickers this crest was an honor. It meant you had been acknowledged as an official member of the Noble household. It was a birthright to those who shared the head's noble blood but it could be earned with extreme and rare excellence by common women. It was usually only given to the most pristine soldiers and scholars whose work proved to be of high value.

But for Maria, it was a leash. To decline the offer would have been a great disrespect, and disrespect against the house was a deadly crime. Fia Opazyr knew that well and leveraged the power gap to trap Maria into service by offering her Nobility.

Maria's reputation had grown beyond her. She was a sellsword. She would take on any job for a peasant's wage. Sometimes she would take on perilous work just to get some favors in her back pocket. She had slain many women in her time, and the odd beast here and there. She had rescued as many women from death's door as a seasoned priest. She was the people's soldier.

Her mother always told her that what she did would come back to bite her. She always thought that meant lying dead in a ditch in some unmarked location. Now she was a rich woman's slave. She dragged herself back to her home. The further she descended from the rich, clean streets of the Noble district the heavier her heart became. The dirty streets, the young girls playing with whatever scrap they could scrounge into toys, it was all her beloved home. She felt a deep sense of betrayal just holding the crest. The nobility never cared about them. All they did was impose taxes and play ignorance to any problem that didn't affect their lavish lifestyle.

Maria's home was no looker. It was run down and old. In reality, it could barely be called hers. The woman who owned it previously had died of illness and the kind neighbors allowed the merc to squat in it. It was a token of trust between them.

She lit the candles in her living room, changing out of her worn-down armor and slipping into a ragged but comfortable tunic. She shuffled around the rustic environment preparing for the setting sun. Her candles were burnt down to their final hours. Maria picked up her coin purse, opening it up to see just a few silver coins. The work she was accustomed to didn't exactly pay well. After all, she was a soldier of the peasantry, and that means the coffers were light no matter who you worked for.

She thought about the potential payout from the nobility, her mind wandered to what she could spend it on. But those lavish dreams were interrupted by the flashing memory of Fia's disgusted face when having to be burdened with looking at the mercenary's worn armor. She sucked her teeth. She couldn't fathom what went through the minds of people like Fia when they looked at the source of all their wealth and power with such contempt.

Her smoldering anger was interrupted by a knock on her door. Maria froze in place, her gaze transfixed on the rickety wooden panel of a door. Again there was another knock. Maria instinctively moved to pick up one of her blades, a well-maintained, single-edged curved sword. "Who is it?" She hollered. She never received visitors this late into the night.

"We're here on word of Lord Fia Opazyr. Please open the door, Lady Maria," pleaded a stern voice.

"What in the hell?" Mumbled Maria. She lowered her blade and approached the door quickly. She cracked it open, only letting her face be seen. The dim candlelights from her home were just enough to light the faces of two female soldiers standing stiffly in front of her door. "Can I help you?"

"We've been requested by Lord Fia to relocate you to a more appropriate dwelling," explained the soldier. "The lord has graciously made you a member of the Noble house. As such you cannot be allowed to live in such squalor. "

Maria was slow to respond to what she had just heard. The struggle to maintain a straight face, the bone-crushing grip on her door handle that made the metal knob whine for relief, and the innate instinct to start barking profanities like an uneducated dog were all overwhelming her ability to navigate her thoughts. She took a deep breath, trying to rationalize that throwing a fit would get her nowhere fast. She put him down her sword, knowing that holding it while so infuriated would only cause more problems. "Look," she rasped, her voice barely staving off a rabid growl. "I don't exactly get the nobility. But whatever superficial problem you girls see with my house can wait. The Lord has assigned me to a mission that starts first thing tomorrow morning. Even if I wanted to leave I can not simply pack all my belongings and allow myself to be whisked away to a completely new space the day before an important job."

The second guardswoman nervously moved between the two. "Please, My lady. The Lord was quite insistent that you be moved to a living space fitting of your accomplishments. Someone as powerful as you shouldn't be living among such filthy peasantry." She moved to open the door, catching Maria by surprise by the sheer casual quality of her audacity. "I mean, this place is practically crumbling. Why would you want to stay in such a worthless-"

"WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Maria exploded into a fit of fury. She pushed the door open, causing both the soldiers to stumble onto their rears The sellsword stood firm in front of her doorway. Her black eyes seemed to beckon the very abyss with her hatred. "This house belonged to a good woman, and I was graciously allowed to live here when I had nowhere else to go! Speak one more slight against my home and I will consider it the highest of disrespect! You wouldn't disrespect the background of a newly appointed noble, would you?" A vile red miasma seemed to seep from her very core.

The guards immediately prostrated themselves before her. Their heads nearly smashing the ground in a panic. "A-appologies! We meant no disrespect!" They stammered in unison.

"Now, return from wherever it is you came. I will go through the transitions after my mission, and not a moment before. And if anyone touches my home while I am away there will be hell to pay! Is that understood?!"

"Y-yes ma'am. We will relay that you wish to keep your environment stable until after your assignment. Please forgive us!"

"Good," spat the merc, "now leave me be. I need all the rest I can get."

The two soldiers scampered away into the darkness like wounded hounds. Seeing them try their best to keep some dignity by suppressing their urge to sprint away did wonders to quell her rage. She closed her door, letting go of the metal handle that was now engraved with her handprint.

She felt as if the gods were punishing her by forcing her to deal with the pompous nobility. But she would prevail. She had too, for her mothers' sake.

***

When the sun rose, Maria found herself standing at the city limits, waiting patiently for her new "comrades" to make themselves known. If it were up to her, she'd be gone at the sun's first glimpse of the land. But she assumed these noble types were more slow-going folk. Maria played with the ornate broach that held the Opazyr family crest. She looked towards the expanse of gray, rolling hills. The Opazyr occupied some of the least fertile land in all of the Ilefirn empire. Most of their goods were used to sustain themselves rather than trade. Their only export being stone, metals, and jewels from the various mining operations that did more to tear up what was left than help it out. Maria reckoned that in the next century, the city would be a shell of itself. When all the mines were bled dry, and the crops wilted for the final winter everyone would simply pack their bags and head to the next city in the land.

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Her thoughts about the uncertain future of her city were interrupted by the ever-increasing sound of a rolling cart accompanied by the stomps of marching feet. She turned her attention to the cobbled road behind her and sure enough, a small group of fifteen women armed with shields, spears and heavy chainmail were approaching. In the middle of their formation was a highly decorated carriage pulled by a fine white steed.

The group pulled up to Maria and came to a stop as two women walked out of the carriage. One was undoubtedly the Niece of Fia. Her nearly pure white hair was tied tightly into a bun. Vibrant red eyes met Maria's stare with a youthful curiosity. Her steel armor was beautifully decorated, on her breastplate was ingrained a lengthy oath in fine print. The second woman was dressed far more modestly. She had a steel half plate over a gray gambeson, all draped in a pristine gray cloak currently serving as a cape. She had blond hair and deep blue eyes that seemed to be deeply exhausted.

This was in stark contrast to Maria. Her cuirass had been battered and bruised. Tears and punctures were patched with scrap metal that had been amateurly welded and sanded down. Her raggedy merlot-colored cloak was torn and singed at its bottom. Underneath her cuirass was a simple dusty tunic. She felt like a rusted copper coin sandwiched in between two gold ingots.

The blond woman gave Maria a cautious gaze as the Opazyr practically skipped over the mercenary. "You must be Red Wind Maria!" hooted the Opazyr. "I am Lucy, famed knight of our beloved family."

"Our?" The denial practically shot itself from Maria's soul. Hearing herself being actively included in their ilk disrupted all the thoughts in her mind.

"My aunt told me that she ratified you as the newest member of our house." She pointed to the broach between Maria's fingers. "It's rare that a new member is gained outside of birth and Marriage."

"Rare is an understatement," added the blond woman. "The last time it happened was well over two hundred years ago. When Knight Commander Azylith was made an honorary member of the house to commemorate her sacrifice in fending off a god who cursed the city with a blight."

"She sounds like quite the hero." Maria was genuinely impressed by the tale. She cracked a cheeky smile and held up her broach. "Let's hope it's not a red herring. I'm not ready to die so young."

Lucy tilted her head and closed in on Maria's face, much to her discomfort. "I mean, aren't you in your forties, Maria? That's a really good run for a warrior. Most usually retire before then."

Maria's face scrunched in horror and her whole body pulled away from Lucy. She patted her face to check for wrinkles, which was a fruitless endeavor considering she was wearing gloved gauntlets "Excuse me?! I'm only thirty-two! I'm way off from retirement!" She cried.

Lucy blinked slowly, confusion radiating from her place face. "Huh, you seem to carry experience of many years beyond your age. How is that so?"

The blond woman pulled Lucy out of Maria's personal space. "I've heard it's because she's always taking on low-paying jobs for gutter rats. But rest assured Lady Lucy, she could have a hundred years of mud fighting and it still wouldn't compare to a real knight's training."

Maria scoffed at the pandering comment. "And who might you be?" She asked with as much apathy as she could muster.

The blond woman smiled. "I am Anise of the Hoary church." She bowed as she introduced herself. There was a deep pride in her voice. "I am accompanying Lady Lucy on this mission to better the relationship between our two institutions."

"Right, right," Maria let everything that came after her name flow in one ear and out the other. She turned her attention back to Lucy. "So, Lucy. I take it that this is your first real job?"

Lucy was seemingly dumbfounded by the question. "Yes, it is. How did you know that? Do I look that inexperienced?"

Maria nodded in refusal. "No, you look fine, girl. Your aunt told me you were still green. it's just something that's good to know since I'm in charge of getting you back alive."

"Oh, well, I promise you that I'm more than capable of taking care of myself. I'm a knight after all."

A gentle smile played on Maria's lips. "Ah, the amount of times I've heard shit like that." She pat Lucy on her shoulder. "Just make sure you keep your head on straight. Now let's go. We're wasting daylight."

The path to the Ashen Canyon was long, if not uneventful. The harsh, gray, rocky wasteland that surrounded the Opazyr territory was always an eyesore. Maria was always giddy when she got the chance to leave it for greener pastures, even if it was to paint said pasture crimson. She pulled the collar of her cloak over her face to guard against the crisp, cold morning air. Unfortunately for her the Ashen Canyon wasn't beyond the reach of this gray expanse.

Maria led the cart. The soldiers preferred to stick to their rigid formation, one woman in the formation stood out to Maria in particular. She led the cart formation, putting her right behind Maria. Her skin was nearly as gray as the cobbled road they walked on. Scars marred her otherwise delicate skin in such high numbers that Maria wondered how she ever survived so many blows to the head.

"Oi, what's your name?" Asked Maria.

"...Veronica," croaked the woman. She said her name slowly, almost as if it took active recollection to find.

"Shit girl, how many concussions have rattled that brain of yours?" Maria slowed her pace until she was walking right alongside the woman.

"I'm still alive, so not enough." Veronica let a small chuckle escape her lips. Her tired obsidian eyes sparkled with a moment of joy.

Maria snorted and giggled at the rather dry joke. "Well, well, a survivor with a good sense of humor. I like that. How long have you been in the rank and file?"

Veronica's eyes widened to a more quizzical gaze. "I'm 25 now, so about ten years."

Maria whistled her praises. "Sheesh, as soon as you even had the chance to wrestle with the idea of becoming a woman. That's tough."

"What about you?" Asked Veronica.

"Well, I didn't start racking up bodies until I was twenty, but I've been a little thug since I was about sixteen."

"You should be careful... it's bad for a noble to call themselves that."

Maria waved away her comment. "Oh, bite me! I know what I am. I've killed women for the money in a whore's coin purse. I'm anything but noble."

"Do you regret it? All the things you've done?"

"Not for a second," There wasn't a hint of hesitation in Maria's body. To Veronica, she almost looked proud.

Another soldier, who was one of two marching behind Veronica, tapped on Maria's shoulder nervously. "Um, Excuse me, Ma'am, don't you think you're better off in the cart with Lady Lucy and Anise?"

"Pfft, and do what? Sit in awkward silence the whole ride. You girls are much more my style. And besides, it's easier to watch from danger when you're not encased by wood."

Lucy leaned her head out of the winder, peering down at Maria like a bird on a perch. "I don't know what you're talking about. These carriages help to preserve our strength for the mission ahead. What if I get tired from walking and we're ambushed?"

"That sounds like you need to work on your long-term stamina, little princess." Maria wagged her finger. "Long treks are a part of the job. You better get used to it."

Lucy pouted, she opened her mouth to give a rebuttal, but couldn't argue against the logic of her newest house member. She slunk back into the carriage, defeated. Veronica had to stifle a snicker, much to Maria's joy.

The group continued along the cobbled road, taking a fork that strayed from the path to the next big city. Instead, they took a path that slowly increased in elevation. It was a very gentle slope made to feel more extreme by the fact that the surrounding land did not follow the elevation of the road. The same road, which had plenty of space for everyone, now felt cramped and narrow. The weak-hearted would easily panic as they noticed the land around the road become separated by tens of feet in sheer cliff.

"This road... it doesn't feel natural," Veronica stated while peering off into the distance. The white rocky wasteland was starting to give way to what seemed to be a desert of white sand. She found the sight absolutely memorizing.

"The Ashen Canyon is anything but natural," confessed Maria. "They say that it was made by the violent rupture of the earth. Hot fire came roaring out of the land and froze over to make the Canyons as we know it, burning what once was to ash in the process. It's also why the desert is so pristine. That's not sand at all. It's ash."

"What used to be here?" Veronica leaned into Maria, her eyes beaming with curiosity as if she were a child hearing a fairytale for the first time.

"Who knows, it could have been a forest, or maybe a beautiful plain. It's been that way for at least two centuries." Maria followed Veronica's gaze, but her eyes fell on the distant sun. "It's strange really, from Opal City to the Ashen Canyon, the sun doesn't give off even the slightest bit of warmth. Maybe that's why the land is so bad."

"What do you mean the sun doesn't give off any warmth?" Veronica tried to look at the sun directly, but regretted it instantly, shielding her eyes and uttering a quiet curse upon it.

"I'm assuming you've never left the Opazyr territory, huh?"

"No, never."

"That's not surprising, judging by all those scars you look like you've been hunting Descended most of your life."

Veronica nodded. "When a new mine opens up. A lot of Descended will appear. The knights only come out when things escalate. But by then..."

"It's already too late for people like you."

"Exactly," Veronica touched the scars that riddled her face. She let out a deep, tired sigh.

Maria put a hand on her shoulder. "Chin up, you've lived this long and that's what counts. Descended are probably what caused the disappearance of the initial retrieval team."

"How many of those monsters have you killed?"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but I've only killed about five or so. They weren't particularly powerful either. My work usually involves more human-related problems."

"I see... well, I still feel safer with you than the two in the carriage."

Maria's face was flushed by the soft purple hue of blush on her chocolate skin. "Ahh, that kind of praise does the heart good."

Maria suddenly focused her attention. Coming down the path from the Ashen Canyon was a woman in dusty gray robes over purple linens. Her hood was down, and mysterious blue sharp eyes analyzed the soldiers through frizzy violet locks. In her clutches was a satchel that quietly hummed like a distant swarm of insects. The wooden staff tied at her hip like a blade indicated a magical background.

The two women's gazes locked, and abyssal black met cracking cobalt. The Wizard's attention darted to the cabin then back to Maria. The Mercenary returned her suspicious gaze with a long, curious gawk at her satchel. It was glowing. How curious. The mage clutched her satchel tightly, betraying its importance.

There was no doubt about it. She had gotten her hands on some of the mana crystals. The same ones that the Opazyr would not take too kindly being scavenged from underneath their bottom lip. As they got closer to each other Maria began to reach out for her. She looked like she was going to call her out, demanding she open the bag for a search. The mage's eyes lit up with terror, shuffling the satchel behind her.

Maria paused, mouthed the words "just kidding", and waved her off. The mage hastened her pace to not draw any more attention to herself. Maria knew that if Lucy and Anise were walking out with the soldiers, they would have caught her and made her surrender every last crystal on her person. But Maria was hired to secure the canyon. The mage was outside the locale and thus, outside her jurisdiction. Or at least that's the excuse she told herself. She wondered how that mage managed to get around whatever caused the original procurement team to disappear. Maria played with the idea that she might have been the cause, but considering how close she was to wetting herself during their little wordless encounter she doubted she could have had anything to do with it.

Not ten minutes later did the cart arrive at a natural bridge. It was a strange strip of land. The inclined road that led to the canyon, although unnaturally elevated from the rest of the world, was a solid bit of land. Maria looked over the road's edge to see a raging river at the base separating the road from the canyon. It was hard to wrap her mind around how such a stream would have given birth to such an extreme arch on the bridge's underside. She reckoned there was only about twelve feet of rock that actually made up the volume of the bridge.

What was even more curious, however, was the woman standing on the other end. She was shrouded in dark blue robes and a cloak that obscured her form. In her hand was a single, decorated dagger with a skull at the center of its hilt. Grasping hands reached out from the hilt to form the cross guard, and the blade was white so pure that it seemed like a slight against the laws of reality.

The soldiers maintained their positions around the cart with spears and shields ready at any moment. The duo of Veronica and Maria were locked into a silent standoff with the enigmatic roadblock. Maria kept a calm hand on one of her curved swords, but she was ready to draw them both if need be.

The shrouded figure's silence spoke volumes. Clearly, they were not welcome here. To stand against a full unit of women with her weapon drawn was nothing short of a bold decoration. But would she have the gall to turn her silent threat into reality?

Maria's mental mullings were cut short by the heavy clang of metal greaves. Lucy stormed out of her carriage, eager to know the reason for the sudden cease of progression. Anise was right on her heels, looking more like Lucy's personal butler than a herald of a religious order.

"Why have we stopped?" Asked Lucy, she looked to Maria for answers.

The ragged sellsword simply nodded toward the end of the bridge where the shrouded woman stood firm and silent. "She's blocking the path. I'm gonna take a wild guess and say we're not welcome here."

Lucy cocked a brow and leaned in with genuine confusion. "What? But this is our territory!" She snapped her head over to the bridge guard and pointed a vindictive finger at the lady. "You look here. You dare stand on my family's land and bar me access to this canyon? Step aside or be branded a treasonous wench!"

The woman clad in night silk tilted her head. "You must be mistaken. Traitor's are those who betray their own. I am not Ilifern, nor is this land yours. It belongs to the past, right and proper."

Lucy took a moment to process her words before settling on saying "You're speaking Gibberish. Ilefern born or not, you need to respect our territory and step aside!" was the right choice.

The woman clutched her ghostly dagger painfully tight. Maria swore she saw the skull hilt cry in silent agony, but it was at such a distance that she dismissed the absurd notion.

The bridge keeper took a deep, rocky breath to stay her nerves, or at the very least make an attempt at doing so. Her voice was stressed by restrained fury. "And if I do not step aside?" She hissed. Her free hand reached into a pocket deep within her cloak.

"Then you shall be executed under my rightful authority as a knight of House Opazyr." Lucy was slow in her delivery. Making each word as clear and concise as she could muster.

Lucy motioned for her soldiers to take up an offensive formation. But before they could even take a second step Maria roared them stiff. "No!" She yelled hastily. "Get back!"

Lucy jumped from how loud Maria screamed at them. Her head swiveled from side to side, unsure of what to make of the outburst. "What's wrong!?"

The shrouded woman pulled from her pocket a white Crystal, it hummed with the same low, insect-like buzz that filled the bag of the disgruntled mage. She was quick to crush it, sending out a thunderous shockwave as pure power forced its way into her body.

"I said get back!" Maria tried to push Lucy back while drawing her blade, but Anise caught her. The herald glared daggers at the mercenary for laying such a forceful hand on real nobility.

There was no time for another attempt at saving hides. The enshrouded woman dropped to her knees, stabbing her dagger deep into the ground. The dagger let out a blood-freezing, ghostly whale that froze everyone in their place. Maria tried desperately to move her feet but it was no good, she was paralyzed by a deeply primal type of fear.

Magical power surged from the knife and into the stone causing it to crack and crumble! With all the speed of a true disaster, the bridge came crumbling down, taking all four named girls with it in its hundred-foot plummet to the rushing waters below.

The remaining soldiers fumbled back as the carriage began to slip into the madness. The beautiful white steed let out a pitiful cry as it followed its passengers to a watery grave with its cabin right behind it.

The soldiers, dumbfounded and terrified, looked up to the cause of this disaster. The enshrouded woman had her gaze fixed on the rapids. Once the last bit of loose rock made its splash she turned her back on the soldiers, now separated from her by a well over thousand foot drop. "If you were wise. You'd return home. Those women who fell are surely dead." Her tone was cold and confident as she quietly left them alone, disappearing into a storm of ash and soot.

But as if to spite her, Maria's ragged glove gripped an ashy river bank with desperation. In her other hand, she dragged an unconscious Lucy out of the water. Ahead of her were Anise and Veronica, who were trying their best to expel the water that had ravaged their lungs. The party now found themselves alone. behind them, and across the river was a thousand-foot stone wall so smooth a spider would have slid off. Ahead of them, the small ash beach narrowed off into a Canyon pathway.

"I hope there's an exit on the other side," Maria rasped. "Because we damn sure aren't leaving the way we came."